Tides And Moons
by nonamegodofmorons
Summary: Annabeth breaks up with Percy. So, Percy creates an all male version of the hunters.
1. Chapter 1

**Percy's POV**

"Perseus Jackson," Zeus' voice boomed in the huge throne room.

I stood in front of the twelve Olympian gods, facing the lord of the sky, my mind thinking about the past. How everything had happened so fast, how I had lost track of time, how I had lost Annabeth.

 _What went wrong?_ I thought.

 ***Flashback***

I was away from Camp Half Blood, training in my father's palace, after Kronos was defeated. We- Annabeth and me- hadn't had enough time with each other, not enough for me at-least. I mean, I had waited four years for us to get together- well, sort of-  
and then my father came up with his training suggestion. Well, it was Lord Poseidon, and it's not good to defy a god, so I had left camp for training in my father's realm. Little did I know what would happen afterwards.

I IMd Annabeth once and found her laughing heartily with some guy. I don't know why, but I swiped my hand through the misty image in front of me. Maybe I was jealous. Maybe I wanted to give her some personal space. I don't know. But I felt hurt, I have  
no idea why.

The next time I IMd her, it was even worse. She was sitting with that same guy on the beach. _It's our place_ , I thought bitterly. _Our moment!_ When the guy left, I called her name, and she jumped in surprise.

"Seaweed Brain!" she said with mock anger.

"Hey," I tried to say casually. "Enjoying yourself, huh?"

I can swear she blushed at that comment, then said in a small voice, "Yeah."

"So, who's that dude you were talking to?"

"Oh, that," she said, her cheeks getting even redder. She had a dreamy look in her eyes, and I didn't like it. "That's Drake, new camper, son of Hermes."

That confirmed my suspicions. So this is why he looked like a younger version of Luke. Same blue eyes, same sandy blonde hair, same body features. I didn't want to think about that guy anymore, I was already starting to dislike him. So we continued our  
conversation, asking and answering casual questions. After that, I had a strong feeling that I would have to finish my training soon. I wanted to leave for camp as soon as possible.

 ***End of Flashback***

"Here we are again," Zeus said, but I wasn't paying much attention. I went on with my train of thoughts.

 ***Flashback***

I arrived back at the camp after months of restless training. It was dark, and as I was making my way towards the amphitheater where the campers were having a sing-along, I was expecting a cheerful welcome from the campers. I had to admit I really missed  
camp. But the Fates had planned something different for me.

When I entered the amphitheater, just after a song had finished, everyone burst into cheering. But I soon realized that they were not cheering for my comeback, they were cheering the two people in the middle, entwined with each other in a deep kiss. Horror  
washed over me as I realized it was Annabeth! And the guy was Drake!

And the whole camp was cheering them? I couldn't believe my eyes. I was extremely hurt by this, so I ran towards my cabin, not being able to watch their makeout session any longer. Once I reached my bed, I jumped on it and lay there, motionless.

 ***End of Flashback***

"You have proved yourself again."

I looked into his eyes, which seemed to contain the whole sky, and I could see a faint trace of gratitude in them.

"Yes." It was Athena. "The boy has done well."

I looked at her, a bit surprised, and it pained me how much she resembled Annabeth.

Annabeth.

 ***Flashback***

Someone entered my cabin later that night. I looked at the silhouette, trying to make out who the person was.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain." It was Annabeth, and I was not in a mood to talk to her at the moment. "Why didn't you tell me you were here?"

"Hey," I said weakly, getting up to switch on the lights.

As soon as the cabin lightened, I noticed the faint smile on her face. She looked beautiful, but I didn't ponder much over her looks at that time.

"So, how have you been?"

"Fine, I guess," I said, not looking her in the eyes.

"Percy, what's wrong?" She sounded a bit concerned. When I didn't respond, she asked again, "Tell me, what's wrong?"

And suddenly, I couldn't control myself. I blurted out, "What do you think you were doing back then, snogging Drake like there's no tomorrow?"

It came out harsher than I meant to, but right then, I couldn't care less. She had hurt me, badly. She hesitated a bit, her face blushing.

"Why did you do it?" I asked, my voice full of hurt. "I'm gone a few months and you've already started dating someone else?"

"Oh come on, Percy," she said like it was nothing. "No need to make a fuss of it. It was just a kiss."

Just a kiss? _How often do you kiss me?_ I wanted to yell. It took her so much time to give me a small peck, and here she was, going around kissing random guys!

"Not to make a fuss of it?" I said incredulously. "How will you react if I do the same with some random girl?"

"Drake is not some random guy!" She said defensively. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you've done it with other girls. When you were 'stranded' on Ogygia, I bet you guys had make-out sessions day and night, you being alone there and all that with Calypso."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I just couldn't. She had changed. The Annabeth I knew wouldn't say such things to anyone, much less me. But then, the Annabeth I knew wouldn't hurt me like this by kissing someone else either.

"No we didn't," I said. "I could well have stayed there. But I came back! I came back… for you."

She seemed to soften up for a second, but recovered instantly.

"What about Rachel?" She spat angrily. "You would've easily gone for her had she not been the Oracle."

Rachel. Did _she_ not overreact when Rachel was around me? Did _she_ not make a fuss when Rachel tried to get my attention? And now _she_ was the one telling me not to make a fuss!

"If you have this little faith in me…" I said, and I was surprised how calm I sounded. "Then I doubt if you even love me."

I shouldn't have said that, because what I heard afterwards horrified me.

"You know what? Yeah, you're right," she said roughly. "I do NOT love you Percy Jackson! I love Drake. And we're done, Seaweed Brain!"

Thunder boomed outside, and with that, she stormed out of my cabin. It was enough to break me. Annabeth broke up with me? The person I loved more than my life, more than anything, my only link to this mortal world, left me? I collapsed on the floor, and  
for the first time in my life, a tear escaped my eyes. I felt devastated.

 ***End of Flashback***

"You have proved your loyalty and skill time and again." Zeus said, his voice echoing. "You have shown such courage that no one has ever had in the history."

 _Flattering_ , I thought. Zeus never showed such gratitude to anyone.

 ***Flashback***

Percy Jackson, a crier? No way.

I got up from the cold floor, feeling like hitting something. Anger had replaced the feeling of hurt now. With one cry of sheer frustration, I punched the wall, as hard as I could. "Arrgh!"

The whole cabin shook, and I cursed my invulnerability. Right then, I decided there was nothing here for me. The camp was better off without me, everyone was better off without me, Annabeth was better off without me.

I quickly flung my backpack over my shoulder, it still being packed as I had arrived just a few hours ago, and left my cabin, Annabeth's words still playing over and over in my mind.

 _We're done Seaweed Brain!_

 _Whatever,_ I thought bitterly. This is what I got for falling in love. This is what I got for trusting people.

"I hate you Aphrodite! I hate you for toying with my life!" I yelled to the night sky, and vowed to myself never to fall in love again. It was worthless.

 ***End of Flashback***

"Your deeds must be rewarded."

All the gods murmured in agreement, even the ones that hated me, surprisingly. The gods never agreed on anything! I knew what was coming.

 ***Flashback***

I walked towards the beach, the rain pouring heavily, though it wasn't supposed to. Not caring about what others would think, I made my way to my father's palace.

The rest is a blur. I practiced sword fighting, wrestling, summoning huge waves, whirlpools, cyclones and loads of other stuff. I trained and trained and trained, partly to become a better warrior, partly to channel my anger somewhere and get over what  
happened. I pretty much succeeded too. Now I was not haunted by nightmares involving Annabeth. She just crossed my mind from time to time, and that too, didn't hurt as much as it used to.

I tried to stay in contact with Thalia, Nico, Grover and a few others. Every time they would ask me about my sudden disappearance, I would tell them that I needed training, not mentioning Annabeth.

And then came the war. The third war against Titans, lead by Oceanus. But this time, I was ready. And they didn't have Kronos on their side.

The memories of the war are nothing but a blur. It was bloody, no denial in that. Almost the same as the previous one. My father and other gods fought Typhon, who had grown more powerful, while I fought Oceanus and other sea Titans. And I defeated them  
all, surprisingly, courtesy of my recent rigorous training.

After that, I headed for the land. Our forces were weak, many warriors had been lost in the previous war. The monsters seemed infinite, but we defeated them on the land too. I still can't believe it, but I single-handedly defeated the likes of Hyperion  
and Atlas. I guess my powers and abilities had developed over time.

The last threat that remained was Typhon, the gods not being able to defeat him this time. I joined them in their struggle. Apollo, Zeus and Dionysus had already been knocked out, and it came as a shock to me. But that ugly thing was NOT going to ruin  
my city. No way was I letting him do that!

I summoned all the power I could, and fought, not caring what the consequences would be. Desperation gave me strength, and I felt an aura surrounding me, which I later came to know was 'The Spirit of the Sea'. I grew in size, everyone gaping at me in  
awe as I fought. I felt ecstatic, like I could do anything. And with my new-found power, I kicked that monster back to Tartarus with the help of others.

That pretty much summed up the war. The surviving monsters retreated, and those who were unfortunate and stupid enough to stay were turned to dust in no time. Soon, I found myself in the throne room of the gods in Olympus, facing Lord Zeus.

So here I was, awaiting the decision of the gods.

"And as a reward, we offer you, yet again, godhood."

I felt different reactions to this from the back: some gasps, must be the new campers; some cheers, some of my friends and Tyson's brethren; and some complaints, no doubt from the Ares campers. I won't say it was unexpected, but I was still mildly surprised  
by this.

I couldn't decide what to do, so after a few moments of awkward silence, I turned to look back. There, between other familiar faces, was the beautiful face of Annabeth Chase. But this time, there was no Annabeth to tie me to the mortal world. She wasn't  
looking at me.

 _She is completely happy with that son of Hermes_ , I thought. I was happy for her, no more hurt. But oddly, Drake was nowhere to be seen. That was weird, but I shrugged the thought. I walked towards her with a warm smile on my face, and hugged  
her.

She looked a bit surprised, but soon recovered, and said uncertainly, "Um, Percy…?"

"Goodbye Annabeth," I whispered in her hair. "Guess we guys were not made for each other."

I pulled away and turned to leave, but she caught my hand. I looked back, and the tears in her eyes pained me. I carefully wiped them away with my hand, and softly said, "Hey, don't cry. I want you to be happy."

"P-Percy," she whispered, stammering. "D-Don't. Please… don't leave me."

I closed my eyes, for her words brought back bittersweet memories, and it hurt. All the voices in the room had died down. It seemed like each and every being in the room was watching us, including the gods.

"I love you, Annabeth," I said painfully. "I always will. And you don't know how hard it is for me to make this decision. But I can't live with what you did. I'm not blaming you. No, I cherish the moments we spent together, but Drake is better than me  
in more than one way. He'll keep you happy Annabeth."

"No," she almost begged, tears flowing down her cheeks non-stop. "I won't be happy without you. Please don't leave me. Please."

"You have to," I said firmly, and left. I had walked a few steps when someone jumped on my back and whispered in my ear, "I'll miss you, Seaweed Brain."

It was Annabeth. She gave me a quick peck on the cheek and ran outside, not looking back even once. She was happy, and so was I. I made my way back to the gods.

"So Perseus," Zeus spoke. "Do you accept our gift?"

"Yes, my lord." There was a finality in my voice. I was no longer weakened by emotions. I was free.


	2. Chapter 2

Percy's POV

I sat on my bed, musing over the incidents of the past few days. Everything had happened so fast, I didn't even get time to think: the war, the victory ceremony, me and Annabeth going our own separate ways, me becoming a god, everything.

Yeah, I was a god now. A minor one, but still… Cool, huh? I was still getting the hang of it, trying not to hyperventilate in front of the gods or do stupid stuff or any of the various things that I would've done had I not been a god. Being a god  
felt

weird, really. But then, it was kinda fun, too.

I mean, being the god of Tides and Earthquakes and a lot of other little things (like unpredictability, valor, loyalty, sacrifice and care etc. Even I don't remember all of them myself), I enjoyed much with my powers. I played little pranks on other  
minor

gods, nymphs and others. It was fun in the beginning, but soon it lost its thrill.

I started feeling lonely and bored. I was not allowed to visit Camp Half Blood as often as I wanted to, I couldn't see my mom as often as I'd like to, and I was not allowed to contact my mortal friends. Gods, there were so many restrictions. The others  
/were used to it, but hey, I was a new god! They called it Ancient Laws blah, blah, blah…

I was flicking through the pages of my photo album, one of the very few things that reminded me of my previous life. I sighed, seeing a picture of me, Annabeth, Rachel, Thalia, Nico and Grover just after the second Titan war. I really missed them  
all.

Forgetting them was going to be hard. But I didn't have to worry about it at the moment.

Then, I remembered something, a promise I made to myself, a vow. I was going to be a _ (A/N: I'm sorry. What's the male word for 'maiden'? Can somebody just mention it in a review, please!) god, just like Artemis and Athena. Suddenly, a thought struck  
/me. I had a pledge to fulfill, and I needed company. So why not have some fun?

The hunters of Artemis had always inspired me, not like 'Hey-i-want-to-join-too', but like 'Wow-they-are-some-fierce-fighters'. So I decided to form a group like Artemis, just the opposite. I would be recruiting males.

I smiled to myself. That was a nice idea. This way, I wouldn't be lonely, and I would be doing something noble- well, kind of. I would form a group of males, young heroes like me who had been betrayed by females in any way, or were willing to join  
anyways.

The name?

Something that sounds as intimidating as 'The Hunters of Artemis', I thought. But still, different. Should be a bit more manly.

And not a second later, the thing I needed came to my mind. Warriors. Whoa… well that didn't take much time.

Without meaning to, I jumped up from my bed in excitement, wearing a victorious smile. I was pleased with myself. I wasn't known for my quick wits, so it felt nice that I had come up with a fitting name. Annabeth would've been proud of me.

Great, I thought. Just what I need. I'm on my way to create a team of males that will be made to learn to dislike females. And my first thought is "Annabeth would've been proud".

Shrugging the thought off, I focused my mind on my new goal/conquest: The Warriors of Perseus. Campy, huh? Maybe, but I didn't mind it.

With this happy thought, I took off towards Lord Zeus' palace to ask for his permission. Artemis probably wouldn't be too happy about it. So I needed Zeus' permission to ensure his baby girl doesn't tear me to pieces for doing this.

Zeus wasn't as hard to convince as I had expected. I persuaded him easily. In-fact, he considered it a good idea. According to him, "This will certainly help to bring up the truth of current society and raise the status of the males". His words still  
/echoed in my mind when, ten minutes later, I walked out of his palace to decide what to do next.

I had to spread the word, and the first person that came to my mind was Hephaestus. With his talent and skills, he could easily come up with some magical means to spread the word quickly, so I teleported to his forge.o

When I materialized there, I noticed that nothing had changed. It was the same old place I'd seen the last time I had been here. Things lay here and there: cluttered on the floor, on the huge tables and desks, hanging from the ceiling, everywhere.  
I had

visited this place before, but the inventions still amazed me. A hunched figure was working in a corner, too busy to notice me roaming around.

"Hello, Lord Hephaestus," I greeted him.

He looked up, and I saw his face, weathered and unshaven as ever. "Ah, Perseus. Hello."

"How are you, sir?" I asked sincerely.

"Fine," he said, waving a hand. "Just fine. No need to call me lord or sir, my dear cousin. Just call me Hephaestus."

"Um… Okay." Hephaestus had always been nice to me since the incident at Mount St. Helens. Perhaps he valued the 'favor' I did him too much, but who's complaining? I was glad for that.

"So, what brings you here?" He asked, going back to his work.

"Well, I got an idea this morning that since I'm going to lead the life of an eternal bachelor (A/N: Sorry again!), why not form a group of males just like Artemis' Hunters who don't want the company of females. What say?"

"That is a good idea, I think." He smiled. "It will help us bring back our lost respect and reveal the truth of today's society."

I couldn't help but smile, too. "Exactly what Lord Zeus said."

"Father is a wise man, yes. So what do you need my help for?"

"I was thinking if, you know, you could help me spread the word that I need allies and help me with recruitment. I'll take anyone: demigods, children of minor gods, mortals; whoever is willing to join and forswear romantic love and the company of  
women

yada, yada, yada. If anyone can do that, you can."

"I'd be honored to help," he said. "I'll broadcast the message everywhere on Hephaestus TV. Those willing to join can contact you, what d'you think?"

"Sounds great," I said happily. "All the recruits must be under the age of… seventeen. Yeah, that's right, seventeen. Okay, I'm out. Thanks a lot, cousin. Farewell."

I waved to him and teleported to my room in my dad's palace. As soon as I arrived, I hopped on my bed. Now all I had to do was sit patiently and wait for any Iris Messages. I lay back contentedly and closed my eyes, instantly falling asleep.

I was jerked out of my sleep by an angry female voice. "What is the meaning of this, Perseus?"

I got up from my bed quickly and looked toward the source of that voice. Some girl was standing at the threshold with her arms folded in front of her chest and looking furious. She appeared to be in her early twenties, and it took me a while to figure  
/that she was Artemis. I hastily bowed to her and, although I already knew what she was talking about, said innocently, "What is the meaning of what, Lady Artemis?"

"Don't try to act innocent," she said, putting her hands on her waist. "You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. What's this I'm hearing about you starting an all-men club or something?"

"Oh, that." I sighed mentally. It had to come to it eventually, but I hadn't expected it to happen so early. I mean, it had just been a few hours and she knew already? "It's not a club, just a group of guys who will be fighting against evil. I see  
nothing

bad about that."

"Oh please," she said sarcastically. "Do you really think I don't know what you're up to? I know your real motive. You want to blot the status of women. You want to prove that men are better than women, but they are not!"

"I don't want to prove anything," I said calmly. "I just want to show people the truth and to help Olympus."

"No, you don't!" She said angrily. "I know your reasons, and I won't let you do anything against women."

"That is not my intention, and besides, you can't stop me now. I have your father's permission," I said, trying to sound as respectful as possible. Artemis wasn't someone you'd like to mess with.

"What?" She said incredulously. "How could he? I'll have to talk to him. And you! I'll deal with you later, and you'll regret your attempt to insult womankind."

Oh great, I thought. Another super-powerful Olympian god holding a grudge against me.

She disappeared and I was left alone in the room to curse my luck. It's not like I was scared of her or anything. I wasn't scared of anyone these days, not even death. I had seen too much, I had gone through too much. It was just that I didn't want  
the

gods arguing. We were supposed to be a family; actually, we were a family. And I didn't want any tensions among family members.

The thought made me sad. Thankfully, Iris decided to help me out at that moment and so, I was pulled out of my thoughts by an IM. It was a guy, around fourteen, with shaggy brown hair and blue eyes. He bowed and said, "Lord Perseus."

"Oh, no need for the titles," I said casually. I wasn't used to being called 'lord' or other titles, and I didn't like it either. It sounded weird, and it made me feel like people were scared of me. Unlike some other big-headed gods, I didn't want  
that.

"You can simply call me Percy."

"You are being too modest, my lord." The boy shook his head and smiled. "You out of everyone truly deserve to be called 'lord'. You are the bravest god ever. I saw you fight in the war, we all did. Me and my friends, we were totally awed by your sk-"  
/"Okay, okay. Enough about me," I said, cutting him off. Why did everyone have to treat me like a god? (A/N: A god, get it? Haha! A god…)"What about you? What's your name?"

"I'm Asterix," he said, smiling. "Demigod son of Lord Apollo."

"Good. So, I believe you've IMd me in response to my request for allies on Hephaestus TV?"

"Yes, sir."

"Come on, just call me Percy." I was getting tired of telling this to everyone. "I'm just seventeen, mate. These titles feel really awkward y'know."

"Okay."

"So, how many of you guys are there in all from Camp Half Blood?"

His face lit up at this and he excitedly said, "There are sooo many of us wishing to join you. There are kids from almost every cabin!"

"That's great. I'll be there in about half an hour. Can you please inform Chiron and other campers about that?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Good. Tell them to meet me in the amphitheater. See ya later, Asterix," I said, waving my hand through the mist.

Seems like I'm getting popular. I had not expected such a quick response. Asterix had said that there are campers from almost every cabin, which meant that I'd be recruiting a lot of Warriors from camp. And I can also see my friends!

The following half hour was hard to pass due to my building excitement, and my ADHD made it even harder. But somehow, I did it and left for camp at the right time. I teleported to the beach and walked my way to the amphitheater, looking around for  
any

changes in the camp. On my way, many dryads and satyrs bowed to me, which I acknowledged with a smile.

Gosh, I missed this place so much! I thought to myself. I would have to ask Zeus to allow me to visit camp more often.

When I arrived in the amphitheater, everyone bowed to me, even Chiron. I was hurt by this as I had been expecting many hugs and claps on my back, but they treated me like I had never been their friend, like I had been born a god. I said, "Guys? Come  
on,

you've already segregated me? I'm still the same old Percy. I can really do with some hugs."

At this, everybody laughed except Annabeth, who just smiled and muttered, "Same old Seaweed Brain."

All the campers rushed forward. The Stolls were the first to reach and they, along with many others, clapped me on the back with many "Hey"s and "What's up"s. then followed some hugs by my close friends.

Nico was one of them, which surprised me a bit because he never showed much emotion or anything. Surprisingly, Rachael was there, too. Then came Grover, crying "Perrrcyyy!" Annabeth came last, and she hugged me so fiercely that I was reminded of Tyson's  
/bear-hug. We stood there for some time, arms wrapped around each other, but when things started getting awkward, I said slowly, "Um… Annabeth?"

"Just shut up, Seaweed Brain! You may be some great god, but you're still my friend."

Then she let go, and I turned to face Chiron. He smiled and gave me a small hug. "How are you, my child?"

"Fine, Chiron." I looked around to take in the whole scene. Every cabin was here except for the Ares cabin, but Clarisse was there, which was again a surprise. Some new girls in the back were staring at me with dreamy eyes, which made my cheeks flush.  
/"So, is everyone here?"

"Yes!" They all yelled in unison.

"Alright, all those guys who want to join, line up here." I gestured to a spot in front of me. In no time, I was facing a long queue. "The rest of you can leave."

When all the others left, I noticed the guys in the line, and at the end was none other than Nico! I wondered what made him think about joining me, but soon left the thought for later. Some of them were really young, only about eight or nine. They  
were

chattering and giggling excitedly. I sighed. "All those below the age of twelve, leave."

Suddenly, the amphitheater was filled with cries of complaining and disapproval. I just ignored them and said loudly, "No complaints. You guys are just too young. When you get older, you can join me. But not now, it's very dangerous."

About one-third of the campers left, sighing and mumbling. I walked to the left of the queue and told them to face me. "Now, do all of you know the terms and conditions? You have to forswear romantic love and the company of women right from the moment  
/you join."

This was followed by some more complaints, and those who refused to accept the terms were told off. After that, I was left with about twenty campers. That was enough for the start.

"So… We get immortality like the Hunters or something?" One of them asked. Uh-oh, I hadn't thought about that.

"Uh, no. Not until I ask Lord Zeus." I thought about what to offer them instead of that, and smiled when I got the solution. "But I can grant you some cool powers."

"What kind of powers?"

"How about underwater breathing?" I offered. "Underwater vision and stuff like that. What say?"

"Cool," most of them said loudly.

"Those who accept, step forward. Those who don't may leave."

So with that, I was left with thirteen guys. Not a lucky number to start with, but since when did I care about superstitions? We did the introductions and I found out that four of them were from Apollo cabin, two from Hephaestus, two from Athena,  
one

from Demeter, one from Hades (obviously), one from Hermes, one from Hecate and one from Nemesis cabin.

Nice, I thought. Most of them were fourteen, two were thirteen, one was fifteen, one was sixteen and two were seventeen. I knew some of them from my time at camp, but many were new, including Asterix. I told them to go pack their stuff and meet me  
at

the beach in one hour.

With that, I left the amphitheater to catch up with my friends. I found Grover and Annabeth in the archery range. Grover was playing his reed pipes while Annabeth was teaching archery to the young campers. When she was done, we headed towards the  
beach,

laughing and talking all the way. We talked about the recent happenings in camp, how Rachel was doing, Grover's new 'Lord of the Wild' life and much more, but mostly it was about me and how it felt like being a god.

"So Annabeth, how are things with you and Drake?" I asked conversationally after a few minutes of sitting in silence.

Bad question. Her face immediately morphed into a sad expression, and she bowed her head down. I knew something was wrong.

"Um… Percy, it didn't…" Grover started, but Annabeth cut him off.

"We're over," she spat, and I could sense that she was close to tears. "Turns out Drake was a jerk. He left me for Katie Gardner."

"Oh" was all I could say. So that's why he wasn't with her all this time. I felt really sorry for her. I had thought that he would keep her happy, that they were meant for each other. But I was wrong. First Luke, and now Drake, too? I knew it was  
a hard

time for her, so I didn't push. "I'm sorry, Annabeth."

"You don't have to be sorry for me," she said getting up, not looking at me. "I deserve it."

And she ran away. There was an eerie silence between Grover and me. Ugh! Girls were very strange sometimes.

After a while, Asterix and Nico arrived, shortly followed by the others. With that, we were ready to roll. I told them to form a circle around me and sit on their knees.

"Do you all accept my gift and forswear the company of women?"

"Yes," they all said in unison.

"Do you all forswear romantic love and vow to be an eternal bachelor?"

"Yes."

"Do you all pledge to fight for the good of humankind and protect it against all evil with the very last drop of your blood?"

"Yes."

"Do you all accept each other as your brothers and swear to stand for each other at every moment of your life?"

"Yes."

I raised Riptide towards the heavens. "Then I, Perseus, on this auspicious moment, declare you the Warriors. Rise, my brothers. Our destinies are now one."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n sorry for the really long break. And I meant to make Percy a minor God of time. Sorry. And thank you all who have favorited and followed my story.**

 ****

 ****

 ****

 **Percy's POV**

After the binding oath, we left for Lord Zeus' palace. I teleported all of us to Olympus, and it was a bit tiring as I wasn't used to teleporting so many people along with me at a time. When we reached there, I took a deep breath in the fresh air  
of Olympus. The palace stood in the middle of the city, its grandeur and beauty gracing the whole place. No doubt Annabeth had done an awesome job, and she had named it 'Nirvana'. I was sure that in the coming years, Olympus would be having a  
complete makeover.  
It was a small walk to the palace, and within a few minutes we were standing before the lord of sky. He was looking irritated and I sensed that he was not in a mood to talk. Still, we all bowed respectfully and I stepped forward to greet him.  
"Hello, Lord Zeus."  
"Hello to you too, young nephew," he said moodily.  
"What is bugging you, my lord?"  
"Nothing," he said, waving a hand. "It's nothing."  
"It's Lady Artemis, isn't it?" I said kindly.  
"Yes." He looked into my eyes. "She is angry with me for letting you form the group."  
"You aren't having second thoughts, are you?" I asked worriedly. "Do you think I did something wrong, my lord?"  
"No, no, no. You did the right thing Perseus. You had every right to do this," he said. "It's just that she's not talking to me now. She's angry, and when she's angry, she does reckless things."  
I was surprised. I wasn't familiar with this soft side of the proud and tough-looking king of the gods. I guess even the gods, too, cared about their loved ones.  
"Don't worry, Lord Zeus," I said reassuringly. "She can't stay mad at you for long. She'll soon redirect her anger at me."  
He smiled a bit, and then said, "So, what brings you here?"  
"Uh- I was thinking- uh," I stammered, thinking about how to put it in front of him. "I came here to ask if I can bless my Warriors with immortality, just like the Hunters."  
Zeus seemed to consider this for a moment. "I'd be happy to grant you this permission, but as you know, Artemis is angry with me. If I grant your men immortality, she'll probably blow up the whole Olympus."  
My heart sank, and it must've showed on my face, because after looking at me, he added, "But if you and your Warriors prove yourself by doing the gods some favors, then I'm sure the whole Council will agree to this. And then, even Artemis won't be  
able to complaint."  
"Okay," I said, stretching the 'o'. "What kind of favors?"  
"Ah, nothing big. Just this and that, whatever the gods ask you to do." He made it sound like it was nothing, but I had a feeling that the gods were going to give us a hard time.  
"So when do we start?"  
"You can start right now if you wish," he said, straightening up a bit.  
I heard some excited whispers from the back. Okay, so they are ready, I guess.  
"Yes. We are ready."  
"Very well, then. Here's your first task: find the cave of the ancient Scymanthian Drakons and slay them. And it's very dangerous, I must tell you. Don't play with the lives of your men."  
"I understand."  
"You may leave now."  
"Fine, m'lord." I bowed again, my Warriors following my lead, and we left his palace after that. We made our way to the magic elevator as I decided not to teleport all of us back to the mortal world. We would need all the energy we could gather. As  
we passed through the streets of Olympus, people eyed us curiously. Some minor god-lings chatted excitedly while some nymphs giggled, but I told my Warriors not to pay attention.  
When we reached the elevator, I pressed the ground zero button. After listening to the same old crappy music for a while, we stepped out of it. I made a mental note to ask Zeus to change the elevator music. As we headed out of the Empire State Building,  
the all-too-familiar guard bowed to me, and I smiled in response.  
Once out of the building, I asked aloud, "How many of you have had training at camp?"  
All of them raised their hands, even the twelve year olds. I changed my statement. "I mean, how many of you have had training for more than six months at-least?"  
Four of them lowered their hands, and so, I was left with seven Warriors to accompany me on this dangerous mission. I gestured toward them and said, "The four of you, go back to Olympus. You can stay in my palace"  
They looked at me with a surprised expression on their faces. "You don't have enough training to go on this mission. I can't risk your lives. Just walk in there and ask for 600th floor. If the guard gives you a hard time, just tell him that the god  
of tides will see to it personally."  
They began to protest, but my decision was final: No. after a while, they gave in and left. With that, I set my eyes on our target. I had no idea where the cave of the Scymanthian Drakons was, and I could think of only one person at the moment who'd  
know about it. Chiron.

When we arrived at the Camp, Chiron was surprised to see us. I quickly filled him in with the news. After many nods and "Hmm"s and "I see"s from him, I asked him the final question.

"So, we came here to ask you the location of the ancient Scymanthian Drakons."  
"Oh," he said. "I believe that they inhabit the island of Scymanthia. It's a small island located in the Sea of Monsters."  
Great, I thought. The Sea of Monsters, here I come again.  
"Uh… Thanks Chiron," I said. "I wanted to ask you if you know why Lord Zeus asked us to slay the Scymanthian Drakons. I mean, why just them in particular?"  
"That's because they are very dangerous," he said, but that was obvious. I raised an eyebrow, so he added, "And they feed off Zeus' thunder. They are those fire breathing types. I think that's why he asked you to kill them."  
On that happy note, we thanked Chiron and left Camp Half Blood 


End file.
